The café gourmand (“greedy coffee” or coffee for someone who really likes their food) is a relative newcomer on the dessert scene in French restaurants. I think I became aware of it about four years ago but I can’t be sure. The thing is, it’s got the food critics all in a twist – they either love it or hate it. What is it and why such strong feelings?
The café gourmand is basically your after-meal coffee – for a French person this is always going to be an espresso, for me it’s a “noisette” (an espresso with a drop of milk) – accompanied by a selection of mini desserts, usually around 3 to 5 depending on the establishment. These often include chocolate mousse, crème brulée, a cake of some sort like a madeleine or financier, perhaps a fruit tart, a macaron, some ice-cream, panna cotta, the list is endless and only limited by the chef’s imagination…. By serving coffee and dessert at the same time the client saves time and has dessert without really having dessert! And if you’re like me and can never make up your mind what you want, the choice is done for you. A little bit of everything. Perfect.
But there are purists and critics who don’t like it. Some say it’s a way for the restaurant to get rid of its leftovers and that the quality isn’t great. Some say a coffee should never be accompanied by dessert, it should always be afterwards. But I’m all for innovation and even if it is a way to use up leftovers, that’s ecological in this day of food waste, isn’t it? I’m definitely in the “love” camp.
What about you? Have you tried café gourmand? Do you like the idea of it? Love or hate?
Related Reading:
What is goûter? It’s tea-time kids
La tarte tropézienne – the star of St Tropez
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Thanks for stopping by. Happy to link up! 🙂
I have to say I love it, a great way to eat a little of something sweet rather than a whole dessert. Thanks for linking up this simply stunning post to #tastytuesdays.
You could use this as a taster and then order the one you liked best next time. Save that awful decision taking. A very good idea
Sounds like the perfect combination to me!
I agree with you too Rosie! I LOVE the sound of your Christmas café gourmand; what a great idea! Thanks for commenting. I hope to see you back here again soon.
I absolutely agree with you, hence the italics “without really having a dessert” above! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I like your thinking Adam! :p
I love Café Gourmands but they do have to be good – a bought in biscuit and dollop of squirty cream will never do however good the other 2 mini home-made desserts are. In fact I love good ones so much we pinched the idea for Christmas making our own Christmas Café Gourmand – a mini pud, a mini mince pie, crème fraîche and strawberry sauce, a mini fruit skewer and a VERY expensive Belgian chocolate. YUM!
As we have several little desserts we are lulled into thinking we are not really having a dessert but it’s probably just as much as a real portion of dessert!
I don’t really like puddings, but I do quite like lots of little puddings, so I’m all for the café gourmand